The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1887-04-08
County VS.. State Prohibition.

anXlouB tnat Wnen the proposed TeVleiOn Oh
our State Constitution is Effected State Pro-
hibition of the liquor traffic shall be among
its provisions.
They ask, If prohibition is good for Ce-
Gil or any particular county, why will il
not be good for the whole State?
There are some considerations that should
make US hesitate before urging the adopt
ion of Constitutional or State Prohibition.
The value of good law, or . law for a
good purpose, depends largely upon its en-
forcement. The enforcement of criminal
law is dependant upon the moral sentiment
of the community. No one can be punish-
ed for crime until convicted thereof by a
jury of his fellow citizens. Juries repre-
sent and reflect the sentiment of the COM
munity from which they are drawn.
Courts and juries in the enforcement of
criminal law are seldom found far in ad-
vance of the public sentiment by which
they are surrounded; and cannot be depend
ed on to punish as a crime that which the
prevailing public sentiment don't wish con.
sidered to be crime.
When a majority of the citizens of
county, decide by majority vote to enact
and enforce prohibition, courts and juries
acknowledge and respect the mandate, vio-
lators are punished and the law is obeyed.
But if the same county should at the
same time have it in its power to enact the
same law of another county, majority of
whose citizens did not desire it and where
the moral sentiment did not support it,
violations would not be reported, or if they
were, iuries could not be relied on to con-
vict.
For as honest as a juryman may think
himself to be, he is, Notwithstanding more
or less Influenced by his previous opinionse
Such law for such community should
consider worse than none.
Their courts being their own, their juries
being of themselves, outsiders couldn't go
there and apply the law.
would rather wait until the peopl
have come to realize the evils under which
they were suffering and had become ready
themselves to apply the remedy.
would not therefore desire law operat
ing alike in all counties. by the vote of the
state at large, because it would cover
counties whose citizens were not ready to
accept it and would not enforce it.
Wonld it not be better to have good
general prohibition law like the one we
have lately adopted in Cecil, for instance
operative in any county that shall adopt it
by majority vote.
Let the new constitution provide for the
passage of such a law securing TO the count
les the right to adopt at any time that they
may be prepared to submit it to the popular
vote.
In this way it would extend itself over
the tate as fast as the citizens of the var
ions counties we've prepared for it, and
when the last county had wheeled into line
we shorld then have State Prohibition in
fact as we'll as in name.
To attempt to go farther than this may
| Oe making H1Ste, uul VIII IL DE making
speed?
Our correspondents views are en-
inently sound on this subject. To
fortify the territory and hold that
which has been gained is the secret
of conquest. By attempting too
much and out Of time has injured
many a good cause. A clause or ar
ticle in the state Constitution, max
ing a vote by counties in favor of
prohibition in the county SO declar-
ing by majority vote, would be a
great improvement over the clumsy
way of framing law for each county
putting it through the legislature
and returning the bill to the people
of the county to confirm or reject by
another vote. This way makes as
many prohibition laws as there are
counties in the state, differing wide
ly from each other in many cases. A
judicious state law to be accepted by